Love & Memories
by xxLittle Black Dressxx
Summary: It takes Valentine's Day for Derek and Addison to realize how much they mean to each other.


A/N: Addison and Derek seem like the Valentine's Day type, so I couldn't resist writing a V-Day story for them. This story is set towards the beginning of season 3. I hope you like it, and thank you so much for reading! Happy Valentine's Day! :)

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><p><em><strong>Love &amp; Memories<strong>_

_Now I am stuck inside a memory,  
><em>_You forgot about our destiny._

"Dr. Karev, have you seen Addison?" Derek asked, as he walked into Addison's office.

Alex looked up from the file he was reading, and placed it on Addison's desk. "She went to grab some lunch before our surgery. Why?"

"No reason," Derek shrugged. "Addison just lets you hang out in her office when she not there?"

"I'm not hanging out in here," Alex smirked. "Haven't you heard – your ex-wife named me captain of the vagina squad. I'm scrubbing in on her surgery, in a couple of hours, so I'm preparing."

"In Addison's office?" Derek asked suspiciously.

Alex shrugged. "She didn't seem to mind. Although, I get the suspicion that she may be using me. She gave me strict orders not to let Sloan in with any Valentine's Day gifts for her."

"So you're Addison's doorman?" Derek teased.

"Hey I'd rather be in here than out there with the women of this hospital. Valentine's Day makes them crazy. Actually, you and the other male attendings…you make them crazy."

"Excuse me?" Derek asked.

"You heard me," Alex shot back. "I mean, from what I've gathered, you're in this weird in between stage – you and Addison are divorced, but you and Meredith aren't together. But Meredith was expecting you to get her something today and, since you didn't, I've had to listen to her complain about you and question the status your relationship a thousand times today…and it's only lunchtime."

"She was expecting a gift?" Derek asked in surprise.

Alex nodded. "But don't' worry, Burke's over the top approach to Valentine's Day more then cancels out your anti Valentine's Day approach."

"What does that mean?" Derek asked.

"Burke went all out on Valentine's Day gifts – flowers, chocolate, candy, you name it," Alex explained. "But Cristina's Cristina; and she doesn't like showy displays of emotion, so now she's complaining. Oh, and here's the best part; Burke's over the top Valentine's Day gifts have Meredith even more angry because, well, you didn't get her anything."

"Way to ruin it for everyone, Preston," Derek muttered.

"Hey, I'm just getting started," Alex insisted. "Because if dealing with Meredith and Cristina isn't bad enough, I'm also dealing with Izzie, who I think is still mourning Denny, so I don't even know what to do for her or what to say to her."

"But you're not dealing with them," Derek pointed out. "You're hiding out here in Addison's office."

"I'm not hiding out here," Alex insisted. "Sloan's been shamelessly hitting on Addison all morning. I mean, he's used every move in the book on her…and you can see that Addison doesn't want anything from him right now. But Sloan doesn't give up easily… and you can just tell that today's wearing her down. So, I've decided that out of all the whiney, angry, hurt women in my life, Addison is the easiest one to be around, so I'm prepping for our surgery and warding off the occasional gift from Sloan."

"What kind of things has Mark tried to give her?" Derek asked, feeling a surge of jealousy flaring up in him.

Alex shrugged. "I don't know, typical Valentine's Day crap – roses, chocolates…that kind of stuff. Wait, why do you care?"

"I don't," Derek insisted. "Just making conversation."

"Right," Alex smirked, clearly unconvinced. "So, what are you doing here anyway?"

"I just thought I'd stop by," Derek answered vaguely.

"Dude, why?" Alex muttered.

"Why what?" Derek asked in confusion.

Alex rolled his eyes at Derek. "Why are you doing this? Look, you've already managed to make both Meredith and Addison's lives a living hell. And it's no big secret that the divorce crushed Addison, so if you came in here to gloat about your new life, just get out. She's trying to move on, and she doesn't need this from you…especially not today."

"I didn't come in here to gloat," Derek insisted.

"Then why are you here?" Alex challenged, jamming a hand on his hip.

"I, uh, I," Derek stammered uncomfortably. "Oh, wow, I can't believe she brought this to work with her today," he said, picking up the bottle of strawberry daiquiri mix that was sitting on Addison's desk.

Alex chuckled. "I can't believe she brought daiquiri mix and not rum."

"I can," Derek nodded. "Addison always says that a good daiquiri is less about the type of rum you use, and more about the daiquiri mix." He showed Alex the bottle in his hand. "This is her favorite mix."

"I'm not really a strawberry daiquiri kind of guy," Alex admitted, "so I guess I'll have to take her word for it."

"She's right," Derek insisted. "Bad daiquiri mix can ruin the drink. I guess bad rum can too…but Addie and I know, first hand, that bad mix ruins a drink."

"You know, no offense, but you and Addison don't really strike me as the strawberry daiquiri drinking type," Alex chuckled.

"We're not," Derek explained. "But we always drink strawberry daiquiris on Valentine's Day. It's our thing."

"Dude, why?" Alex asked. "It's freezing out, and you guys came from New York…not exactly a warm place. So, why would you and Addison choose to drink frozen drinks during the middle of February?"

"Shouldn't you be prepping for surgery?" Derek asked.

"I've been in here with this file for over an hour; I know this surgery like the back of my hand," Alex said cockily. "So why do you and Addison drink strawberry daiquiris on Valentine's Day?"

Derek sighed. "Addison and I wanted to do something special for our first Valentine's Day as a married couple. You know what it's like to be a doctor…holidays always come second to work…so Addie and I never really celebrated a traditional Valentine's Day together. So, we decided to take a Valentine's Day vacation to Jamaica. We took the entire week off from work so we could spend our first married Valentine's Day together in a tropical paradise."

"Sounds nice," Alex approved. "I take it you guys had a good time."

"We didn't go," Derek admitted. "The day before we were supposed to leave, Addison came down with a horrible stomach bug. She couldn't keep anything down for days. So there was no way we were getting on a plane to Jamaica."

"Sucks," Alex muttered.

Derek nodded in agreement. "Anyway," he continued, "she got better the day before Valentine's Day but, by then, it was too late to get a reservation at a fancy restaurant, and neither of us really wanted that, anyway. We wanted Jamaica. So we brought Jamaica to our brownstone. We played island music and drank strawberry daiquiris. We figured strawberry daiquiris were a good choice because they're tropical and, well, they're pink. So we had our own tropical Valentine's Day and, I don't know, every year, since then, we've always drank strawberry daiquiris on Valentine's Day."

Alex smiled. "Did you guys ever make it to Jamaica?"

Derek shook his head. "Honestly, since then, I never had the desire to go. Just being with Addison and drinking strawberry daiquiris on Valentine's Day was enough." He placed the bottle of daiquiri mix back on Addison's desk, and swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. "I can't believe she's gonna drink strawberry daiquiris tonight…even after all that happened. I-"

"Dude, seriously?" Alex asked in annoyance.

Derek looked at him in surprise. "Seriously, what?" he asked.

"Are you seriously that brainless?"

"Excuse me?" Derek asked in confusion.

"Look, I'm the last person in the world that should be giving you this lecture. This, right here, is like having Yang lead a seminar on getting in touch with your emotions but, dude, you need to hear this and, since I'm the only one here with you right now, I guess I'm the one who needs to say it to you."

"Say what to me?" Derek pressed.

"You're still in love with Addison," Alex said simply.

"I," Derek stuttered.

"And I get that you care about Meredith," Alex continued. "But you don't want a relationship with her. Because if you did, you would have gotten her a gift today, or you would have made plans with her for tonight, or, at the very least, you would have eaten lunch with her instead of spending your lunch hour up here with me, in your ex-wife's office, pining over a bottle of daiquiri mix. Shepherd, when it comes to women and love and feelings, I'm as messed up as they come, but even I can see that you're still in love with your ex-wife. And she's obviously still in love with you."

"Seriously?" Derek asked.

"Dude," Alex said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Why else would she be turning down gifts from Sloan? Why else is she planning on drinking strawberry daiquiris today?"

"Wow," Derek breathed.

"Yeah," Alex nodded.

"I should do something," Derek said quickly. "I need to do something for her."

Alex looked at Derek pointedly. "Just don't hurt her again," he warned.

Derek nodded, and turned to make his way out of Addison's office. "Hey, Karev," he said, turning around to face Alex again.

"Yeah?"

"I thought that Meredith was one of your best friends here."

Alex nodded. "She is."

"So why are you siding with Addison?"

Alex shrugged. "Meredith has the whole hospital siding with her. Addison never had a chance. And I know what it's like to have nobody in your corner. And, I don't know, don't tell her I told you this, but Addison seems like a good person. I mean, she's messed up – but who isn't?"

"True," Derek conceded.

"Besides," Alex continued, "I don't really think of myself as siding with Addison or siding with Meredith…it's more about me not siding with you. You hurt them both… a lot. So, if you're gonna try to set things straight with Addison, you better be all in."

Derek nodded. "I will. Thanks, Karev. Oh, and by the way, this conversation…you know, me opening up to you, and you offering me romantic advice…this never happened."

"Already erased from my memory," Alex smirked, picking up his patient's file.

"But if it had happened," Derek began, "I might have advised you to take Izzie out for a drink tonight. This can't be an easy day for her. A drink might help."

Alex smiled. "I think I've got something better in mind."

xxxxx

"Nice work in there, Karev," Addison smiled, as she and Alex scrubbed out together. "I know you're gonna hate hearing this, but I really do think you have a talent for neonatal."

"Maybe," Alex shrugged. "So, is this surgery it for you? Are you done for the day?"

"I am," Addison nodded. "One stop at the liquor store is all that's standing in between me and my strawberry daiquiris."

"Don't forget to bring your daiquiri mix home," Alex smirked. "I'd hate for you to have to settle for sub-par daiquiri mix. You know, most people think that the strawberry daiquiri is all about the rum, but I've actually heard that bad mix can ruin the drink."

Addison looked at him in surprise. "Where'd you hear that?" she asked, turning off her faucet.

Alex shrugged. "I can't remember. Anyway, would you do me a favor? I left my watch in one of the on-call rooms; would you mind getting it for me?"

"You can't get it yourself?" Addison asked.

"You've already scrubbed out," Alex explained. "I'm still washing my hands. And, besides, I helped keep Sloan away today. It's the least you could do."

"Fine," Addison conceded, rolling her eyes. "Which on-call room?"

"The second one on the left," Alex said, smiling triumphantly. "Thank you."

Addison nodded, and made her way to the on-call room. She pushed open the door, and felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight in front of her – Derek standing over a blender, making strawberry daiquiris.

When he saw her enter, Derek turned the blender off. "Hey," he smiled, as he poured two cups of strawberry daiquiri.

"What are you doing?" Addison asked in surprise.

Derek gave her a soft smile, and handed her a cup. "It's Valentine's Day, Addie. We always have strawberry daiquiris on Valentine's Day."

"Derek, I," Addison stuttered.

"Look, Addison, I know we both made mistakes, but our divorce…that's the biggest one."

Addison swallowed hard. "Derek, we tried to make things work, but-"

"_You_ tried to make things work," Derek corrected her. "I wasn't all in. But I'm all in now. I promise you, I'm all in."

"You love Meredith," Addison said quietly. "She makes you happy. You should go be with her."

Derek shook his head. "If I loved Meredith, I wouldn't be in here with you right now. It's the most romantic day of the year, and I want to spend it with you. I want to spend this Valentine's Day, and every Valentine's Day for the rest of my life, drinking strawberry daiquiris with you."

Addison looked up and met Derek's eyes. "Really?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Really," Derek smiled, pulling Addison in towards him and softly molding his lips against hers. "I love you, Addison," he whispered when they broke apart. "And I'm sorry if I ever made you think otherwise."

"I love you too," Addison said softly. "And I'm sorry if I ever gave you a reason to doubt that."

Derek smiled, before closing the space between them and kissing Addison deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and their kisses quickly became more urgent and passionate, as they fumbled towards the on-call room bed. "This okay?" Derek asked breathlessly, as he went to remove Addison's scrub top.

Addison smiled. "More than okay," she murmured, before removing Derek's shirt, and pulling him on top of her. The feeling of Derek's bare skin against hers was driving her crazy, and Addison hurriedly fumbled to remove his jeans. Derek was in the middle of removing Addison's scrub pants, when they heard the door to the on-call room creak open.

"Oh, shit!" Alex exclaimed. "I, uh, I'm so sorry. Shit!"

"Karev, what the hell are you doing in here?" Derek demanded, doing his best to cover himself and Addison with their discarded clothes.

"I, uh, I just came in here to borrow the blender," Alex explained, averting his eyes. "I was gonna make frozen margaritas for me and Izzie. I wasn't expecting to find you guys like-"

"Karev, when I asked you what you were doing in here, it was my polite way of telling you to get out," Derek interrupted. "I don't actually care about what you're doing in here."

"Okay, I'm leaving," Alex surrendered, still not making eye contact with Addison or Derek. "So, can I borrow the blender?"

"It's all yours," Addison said.

"Thanks," Alex smiled, retrieving the blender from the table. "Oh, and Shepherd," Alex began.

"Yes, Karev?" Derek answered impatiently.

"This won't make things awkward for us. Don't worry. I mean, I pretty much saw you emotionally naked this afternoon. This really isn't that big of a deal."

Derek shook his head in mild amusement. "Just get out, Karev."

"What did Karev mean when he said that he saw you emotionally naked?" Addison asked Derek, once Alex had left the room.

Derek chuckled. "Long story," he admitted, pulling his jeans back on. He gave Addison a warm smile. "What would you say to getting out of here and continuing our Valentine's Day celebrations elsewhere?"

Addison smiled, before kissing Derek softly on the lips. "Just throw in some strawberry daiquiris, and I'm there."

xxxxx

_1 year later..._

"Hey," Derek grinned, as Addison opened the door to the on-call room that he had told her to meet him in. "How'd the surgery go?"

"Good," Addison nodded. "Mother and baby both pulled through."

"That's good," Derek smiled. He looked at the shopping bag in Addison's hand. "Is that the daiquiri stuff?" he asked.

"It is," Addison said, handing him the bag.

"And Karev?" Derek asked.

"He and Izzie brought their own blender this year," Addison chuckled.

"Good," Derek approved. "And the door?"

"Locked," Addison smiled, raising an eyebrow seductively.

"Perfect," Derek grinned, before moving over to where his wife was standing, and kissing her softly on the lips. "So," he began, when they broke apart. "Let's get these daiquiris started." Derek began removing the ingredients that Addison had picked up from the bag, and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when he noticed that Addison had bought a much smaller bottle of rum than they usually purchased and a bottle of Seven-up – an ingredient that they had never used in their strawberry daiquiris before.

"Hey Addie?" Derek began. "Is one of us drinking virgin daiquiris tonight? Because you bought a pretty small bottle of rum and, well, I've heard of people using Seven-up in non-alcoholic daiquiris, but never regular ones…so, uh, is one of us not drinking?"

Addison nodded. "I'm not drinking."

"Wait, why?" Derek asked. "We always drink strawberry daiquiris on Valentine's Day. Is something wrong?"

Addison gave him a hesitant smile. "I'm pregnant," she said.

"Wait, seriously?" Derek breathed.

Addison nodded.

"Oh my goodness," Derek gasped, as the color began to drain from his face.

"Derek, are you okay with this?" Addison asked worriedly. "I mean, I know we weren't exactly trying…although I guess it shouldn't really be too much of a shock because we haven't exactly been very careful lately. And I know we just got back on track a year ago, and it's been a while since we discussed the possibility having kids together, so a lot could have changed." Addison swallowed hard. "Do you even want a baby?"

Derek met her eyes and shook his head. "No," he said softly.

Addison felt tears prick her eyes, as she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

"I don't want _a_ baby," Derek smiled, pulling Addison into his arms, and bringing his hand to her stomach. "I want _this_ baby…with you. I love you, Addison. This is incredible news."

Addison smiled, touched by her husband's words, as she did her best to blink back the tears of happiness that were building in her eyes. "I love you too, Derek," she whispered, softly brushing her lips against his. "So much."

"So, two virgin daiquiris it is, then," Derek grinned, making his way over to the blender.

"Derek, you can drink if you want to," Addison insisted.

"I know," Derek smiled, as he began pouring the ingredients into the blender. "But I'll have what you're having tonight," he said, before turning the blender on.

"It's kind of weird to think that this is going to be our last Valentine's Day together…just the two of us," Addison mused, as Derek poured them each a virgin strawberry daiquiri.

"I know," Derek agreed, handing Addison a cup. "But I'm excited."

"Me too," Addison smiled, as she and Derek sat down on an on-call room bed together.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Addie," Derek grinned, raising his strawberry daiquiri.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Derek," Addison smiled, lightly tapping her glass against his. "Hey, these aren't that bad," Addison approved, as she took a sip of her virgin daiquiri.

Derek nodded, doing his best not to grimace. These virgin daiquiris were way too sweet for his taste – without the rum, they were essentially just sugar and more sugar. But he didn't care. Right now, he could be drinking vinegar and still be happy. He looked at Addison and smiled, realizing that if just a couple of things had gone differently, last Valentine's Day, he wouldn't be where he was right now. He wouldn't be sitting here with Addison, happier than he ever imagined possible. And he liked to think he had fate to thank for that…well, fate and strawberry daiquiris.


End file.
